He! He! It's amazing that I'm still alive with all those death threats! Thank you, guys! You are all very generous with your reviews!!!

@Alia : God, I'm blushing!! Thank you so much!!

@LegolasLover2003 : Thank you very, very, very much for your advert on me in your fic! You're such an angel! Oh, you want Kel? Here he is, in cameo appearance!!!!!

Read on!!!!

The light was so blinding that Legolas had to place a hand over his eyes against its glare. When the brightness subsided, a doorway appeared in front of his vision. He stared at it in awe.

"What are you doing here?" A voice suddenly came from behind him.

Legolas whirled around instantly. "Kel?" Legolas was stunned. "What are you doing here?"

Keldarion, his elder brother who had gone sailing to Valinor almost a year ago, was standing tall in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest. "I asked you first."

"Well, this is the entrance to the Hall of Mandos…"

"I can see that. But what are you doing here?"

"Because I'm dead?"

Keldarion reached forward and smacked his brother dead center on his forehead. "Ow!! What did you do that for?" Legolas cried out, rubbing the stinging spot.

"You are not dead, you idiot!"

"Oh yeah? Then how I come to be here?"

"Because you're giving up already! Go away, Legolas. This is not your place."

"Says who?"

"Because I said so! Now, go back! Turn around. Shoo!"

"Kel, come on. This place looks nice. There's no pain, no tears, no misery."

"Yeah, right," Kel snorted. "You are still at the door. You haven't looked inside."

"What's inside?"

"I don't know. I never went in myself."

"Really, Kel. Let me enter. I can't go back to that miserable earth."

"And break your oath to me?"

"What are you saying?"

"The day on my departure, you've sworn that you'll never enter this hall, Legolas. You've sworn to join me in the Undying Lands. Don't you remember?"

"Oh. Right."

"See. I only leave you for no more than a year and you've already got yourself in this mess! I thought you are a lot stronger than this!"

"I am! Believe me, I am! But I can't take it any more! This is too much, Kel!"

"So, you would rather be here while I waited in vain for you over there?"

Legolas lowered his head, staring at his feet. "I want to be with you. Really, Kel, I miss you so much."

"I miss you too, little one. But we will never see each other again if you step through that door. So go back, do whatever you have to do to stay alive. Be stubborn, be a fighter, and don't ever give up! There's no place reserved for you here. Go back home, where you are needed the most."

Legolas flung himself into his brother's arms, hugging him tightly. He felt Keldarion stroking his hair tenderly and whispered, "I will wait for you there, Legolas. I will wait for you. Do not disappoint me…"

Keldarion began to sing. It was an old lullaby from Legolas's childhood. It soothed his tormented heart and heavy mind.

But then, it was not Keldarion's voice that he was hearing…

****************

Legolas fluttered his eyes open and saw Elladan gazing down at him. The elder elf was still singing softly, while Aragorn and Elrohir were sitting by his sides, holding his hands in support and comfort.

"Hey, Legolas. You decided to return to us now?" Aragorn managed to speak despite the lump in his throat. Legolas smiled weakly. With that, the Rivendell brothers reached down and gathered the prince in their arms, hugging him. They stayed that way for a full minute, relishing the joy of having Legolas returning back to them…for the countless time.

"You scared us to death!" Elrohir pointed out after they pulled away. Legolas laughed softly, and winced. He immediately reached for his throat, touching the poultice there. Elladan pulled at his wondering hand. "Don't touch it. Leave it there. It will help bring down the swelling."

When Legolas opened his mouth to speak, Aragorn gently admonished, "No talking, either. Your throat is swollen terribly. Let it heal first."

Legolas shook his head. Stubbornly, he opened his mouth again. "C…Ca….yel," he rasped. His voice sounded horrible, like sandpapers brushing together. His friends also winced as they heard him spoke.

"Cayel? You want to see Lord Cayel?" Elrohir asked. Legolas shook his head vehemently, his eyes glinting with fury.

"Cayel did this to you?" Elladan asked, even though he already had his suspicions. Legolas nodded, looking back at them beseechingly.

"That lowlife bastard!!!" Aragorn fumed, clenching his fists.

"I knew it! He must be behind all this!" Elrohir also growled in anger. "He was very fast in taking control now that you and your father are out of his way. I also believe that your father is not killed by the orcs like he said but by…his own…hands…err…Legolas?"

The blood had drained off Legolas's face as he heard Elrohir's last sentence. Elrohir also went pale. "Valar! I forgot…you…you didn't know…did you? That the king is…dead?"

Legolas shook his head in denial, staring back at his friends pleadingly. "No…" he tried to say, but his voice sounded more like a moan of a slaughtered animal. "No!!!!" He sat up, and scooted backwards, trying to run away from his friends' reaching hands.

"Legolas," Aragorn said as he tried to sooth the prince who began to become hysterical in his grief. Legolas had reached the base of the big tree behind him, hugging it, clutching the rough barks in desperation. As tears ran down his smooth cheeks in rivulets, he sobbed and cried uncontrollably.

It was a pitiful sight. The Rivendell brothers looked on as Legolas's whole body shook in his silent sobs. For the second time that night, tears also flowed from their eyes as they witnessed their friend's torment. Not wanting Legolas to suffer alone, they moved closer to him. Legolas found himself in his friends' comforting arms once again.

"Don't break, Legolas. Don't break," Elladan whispered, brushing the tears off the prince's wet cheeks.

"You are not alone. We are here with you," Elrohir added as he stroked Legolas's head.

"We'll get that piece of scum who did this to you," Aragorn vowed through gritted teeth. Holding firmly to Legolas's hand, the ranger brought it to his lips. "He is going to pay. You will get your revenge, Legolas. I swear to it."

Hiccupping softly, Legolas let himself being comforted by the Rivendell brothers; his strength had deserted him in one big rush. Not long after, he drifted off into exhausted sleep, still wrapped within his friends' arms. They gently lay him back on the cloak and covered him with a warm blanket. Elladan checked the poultice on his throat and changed it with fresh one.

"What do you think we should do now?" Elrohir asked quietly.

"I guess we need to let him heal first, before we decide what to do to get Mirkwood back from that traitor!" Aragorn was glaring dagger-like towards the direction of the palace.

"It is not our right to decide," Elladan said, looking down at the sleeping elf. "We leave it all to the new king."

TBC…